Scott Gordon can say whatever he wants and if he felt Joey MacDonald should not have been pulled for his club's struggles yesterday I have no problem with that, after the second goal the team did hang MacDonald out to dry.

Having written that when he says he believes in the goaltenders finishing what they start all anyone has to go is trace back his actions last season to how he handled Tuukka Rask on the Providence Bruins here on a winning club that reflects he does not play his goaltenders as he claimed yesterday.

I cannot tell much regarding an injury (Rask had a groin injury for a short time in April) in a particular contest or if the 4/13 game was somewhat of a post-season tuneup in a league where roster turnover is very high.

What I can tell you is Scott Gordon on some occasions (including his final AHL game) did not let his number one goaltender finish what he started on a club with seemingly very little adversity which will not be the case on the 2008-09 New York Islanders, I cannot speculate whether it was about momentum or not.

All this says to me is how much management does not trust the club's media covering them which I understand completely but now the media has a fair reason not to trust Scott Gordon.

Welcome to the NHL, Scott Gordon. ******************************************************On the other side of the media coin Mr Botta can write what he wants and call out the club for refusing to name a starting goalie right before the game to it's broadcast rightsholder.

Having written that he was the first to point out that same rightsholder is not electing to provide our team with a pregame show. All three local clubs had a telecast on Monday, only the Islanders did not have a pregame show that was a home game in the middle of a weekday afternoon.

Our fans watching the telecast did not know the lineup until after the game started.

On Saturday the club had to put up a link to ITV for live postgame coverage because that same rightsholder wanted to show their Msg-centric program that did not include live Islander postgame.

Mr Botta will also be one of the first to point out that same rightsholder did not provide our fans a single preseason game on televison or even allow a live webcast.

To date we do not even know if the rightsholder replaed Mike Santini who was supposed to be the club's new produer but left the rightsholder for another job with baseball.

I understand where you are coming from if the media/Newsday is going to cover our team with an agenda against them (long before Cablevision took control) I suspect the club is not going to go out of their way to provide them information.

Where was Newsday coverage or Greg Logan to blog when DiPietro started the all-star or won six games in a row in the second half?

It's easy to blame the organzation when the fans get caught in the middle of not getting information and no doubt the media plays on this knowing the fans will be frustrated and take their side.

Ask yourself a question, do you think the media treatment has been fair? If your answer is no that's why the club does not trust telling the media these things.

Greg Logan went after Ted Nolan's contract story harder than his agent down the stretch last season and made it THE issue. When this club announced it's injury policy in June Mr Logan and Marc Ganlder hooked up the same say and next thing we get headlines on Yashin returning that had to be retracted after the damage was done.

1) Just to clarify for us outsiders, is the club denying DiPietro is anything but healthy? Just in need of more time to get in game shape/ready??2) If so, what has transpired thus far doesn't make much sense. Latest is that apparently DiPietro didn't even practice today. Its still 2 days from their next game, but it would seem doubtful he'll start in Tampa. Seems with each passing day this situation gets murkier. 3) We are too far to decide if Newsday and other writers indeed have an 'agenda' or not, but does the isles former PR guy Chris Botta also have one/why?

I'm as much an outsider as you are and not connected to the team in any way beyond a link in it's blog box.

I make clear as often as I can NYI Fan Central as not done from the point of an insider or passes off it's views as such ever.

1-2. I have no idea where things go with DiPietro beyond he will practice Wednesday but obviously it begs the question why did he take a warmup Monday if he is not on-ice Tuesday unless something else is going on or the practice was optional and he decided not to participate?

3. I cannot speak for Mr Botta at all and have to treat his blog somewhat differently than the established newspaper reporters who have a record on covering this club that raises fair questions someone has to ask.

From day one I made it clear this blog with do this with any professional media outlet.

I will comment on Mr Botta's blog content occasionally but he is now on the other side of the coverage fence as an independant blogger with access.

A lot of things I respectfully agree to disagree with him on and we have exchanged e-mails as late as last week. Only he knows what his relationship is with the Newsday writers.

All I know is he ripped Alan Hahn and Newsday's overall reporting in April 2006 on the clubs website so he appears to take no sides which is what you want from anyone providing information even if you disagree with content.

He also admits Garth Snow is his friend (from his blog) but was honest enough to blame both Snow and Nolan last season for their parts.

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